Erik ten Hag says he will act as both "friend" and "teacher" for Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United this season.

Portugal superstar Ronaldo remained at Old Trafford despite reportedly wanting out during the transfer window due to the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League this season.

Rumours continued to swirl right up until deadline day but Ronaldo, who returned for a second spell from Juventus in August 2021, was part of the squad that defeated Leicester City 1-0 – coming off the bench in Thursday's win.

"[He stayed], as we said. It's really early in the season and we have a squad and we have more than starting 11 players and that is what you see now," Ten Hag said.

"Players who are now on the bench can play in one, two or three weeks."

Ronaldo's solitary start from five Premier League appearances this season came in the embarrassing 4-0 drubbing at Brentford last month.

Since that humiliating defeat at the Bees, United earned a 2-0 triumph over fierce rivals Liverpool and followed up with back-to-back 1-0 victories over Southampton and Leicester.

Part of the reason for Ronaldo's lack of starts can be attributed to the fact he missed much of pre-season due to a family issue.

For United boss Ten Hag, Ronaldo will be treated the same as any other player depending on the situation.

"I will be his friend, sometimes I will be his teacher. It depends on the situation," he added.

"But, as we all know, he didn't have the pre-season and you cannot miss the pre-season.

"It is a base, especially in the game we play, the way of play. We play another type in comparison with last year.

"It depends on the demands, cooperation and it demands certain positioning, in and out of position, and the other thing is fitness."

United face Arsenal on Sunday with Ten Hag having a few decisions to ponder, including Casemiro – a transfer-window signing from Real Madrid – pushing for a first start.

Forward Antony arrived in a big-money deal from Ajax on deadline day too, with some pundits questioning the reported £80.6million (€95m) fee forked out.

Defenders Lisandro Martinez (Ajax) and Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord) also joined from the Eredivisie, and Ten Hag has no fears about any of the trio's ability to adapt to the Premier League.

"First the players who we signed are internationals for their countries," said Ten Hag, who also arrived from the Eredivisie having left Ajax.

"They performed really well in the Champions League and thirdly looking at their individual skills they are capable of playing high-intensity football, the players we selected and recruited."

Martinez could have been lining up against United on Sunday with Arsenal having been credited with an interest in the Argentine defender.

Having come under scrutiny following the Brentford setback, Martinez has excelled and won United's Player of the Month award for August but Ten Hag is confident there is more to come.

"Yes, I wanted him, he's ball-playing but also you see his defending capabilities," Ten Hag said of Martinez.

"His toughness, his positioning, his anticipation and togetherness.

"I know what he is able to do. This is a base. He is doing well but he has to do much better."

Chelsea were one of the big spenders during the transfer window with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headlining their deadline-day business.

The Blues also signed Wesley Fofana and Denis Zakaria over the past week after losing several key players.

Chelsea have started the new Premier League season with mixed results, with Saturday's 2-1 win over West Ham improving their record to 10 points from six games.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA LODGED AUDACIOUS DEADLINE DAY LAVIA BID

Chelsea tried to sign Belgium youth international Romeo Lavia from Southampton on deadline day less than two months after he joined the Saints from Manchester City, reports the Daily Echo.

The Blues were one of the big spenders late in the transfer window, and submitted a £50million proposal for the 18-year-old midfielder.

Southampton rejected the proposal having signed Lavia from City for £12m in July. City retain a buy-back clause for Lavia who has played five times for Southampton this season.

ROUND-UP

– El Nacional reports Arsenal attempted to sign Barcelona's Ferran Torres with an audacious €30m bid before the close of the transfer window on Thursday. The Spaniard joined Barca from Manchester City in January but has not been a regular starter and the Gunners tried to convince the Catalans to let him go.

– Tottenham tried to sign Ukrainian midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi from Atalanta but the Serie A club refused to sell him, claims Fabrizio Romano. Spurs may re-open the situation in January.

– Besiktas are in discussions with Sassuolo's Turkey international centre-back Kaan Ayhan about a move to Turkey according to Ajansspor. The Turkish transfer window is open until September 8.

– L'Equipe claims that former Everton and Lille full-back Djibril Sidibe will join Greek club AEK Athens , having left Monaco when his contract expired at the end of last season.

Marcelo has signed for Greek Super League champions Olympiacos after bringing down the curtain on his glittering Real Madrid career.

The left-back – a five-time European champion – was firmly behind Ferland Mendy in Madrid's pecking order last term, starting only seven games in all competitions as Los Blancos won LaLiga and the Champions League.

Although Marcelo was club captain, Karim Benzema usually skippered Carlo Ancelotti's team. Marcelo then departed when his contract expired at the end of the 2021-22 season, ending a 15-year stay with the Spanish giants.

Marcelo said upon leaving Madrid: "I won't retire, not now. I feel I can still play. Facing Real Madrid won't be a problem. I'm a big Madridista, but I'm also a big professional."

He was available as a free agent and was recently linked with Premier League side Leicester City.

However, the 34-year-old has ended up at Olympiacos, who described him as "a true football legend" when announcing the deal.

There is unlikely to be the opportunity to face Madrid this season, with Olympiacos having failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage, losing to Maccabi Haifa in the preliminary rounds.

The Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga may not be finished, with new reports he has agreed to terms on a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Ronaldo, 37, has come off the bench in each of Manchester United's last three wins on the trot, with his only start of the season coming in the 4-0 loss at Brentford.

With the transfer window shut in England, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and most of Europe's top leagues, it seemed like Ronaldo was destined to remain with United until at least January – but the Turkish window remains open until September 8.

TOP STORY – RONALDO STILL WANTS OUT OF OLD TRAFFORD, AGREES TO FENERBAHCE MOVE

Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce could be set for a massive influx of star power after Ajansspor reported Ronaldo has been convinced by the club's Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus to make the jump.

No team in the Super Lig has scored more than Fenerbahce's 13 goals in four games this season, and more firepower could be on the way as club president Ali Koc is reportedly on board with the move, with just last details required to finalise things.

Koc has experience with high-profile signings, having convinced Ronaldo's former Real Madrid team-mate Mesut Ozil to sign last season, collecting eight goals and two assists in 22 league matches before opting to remain in the Super Lig for another campaign, moving to Istanbul Basaksehir.

ROUND-UP

– Marca is reporting Paris Saint-Germain offered Manchester City the chance to sign Neymar as the deadline approached, but they declined.

– According to The Athletic, Tottenham had serious interest in Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, but could not thrash out a deal.

– The Manchester Evening News claims the United board vetoed a move for Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech.

– Ajansspor is reporting Fenerbahce are working on a transfer for Leicester City's Turkish centre-back Caglar Soyuncu.

– Leicester City still have interest in adding another centre-back, with 27-year-old free agent and Belgian international Jason Denayer their main focus, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Sunday's Premier League clash at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Arsenal is a fixture that in years gone by would have had significant ramifications in the title race.

United and Arsenal spent the best part of the noughties fighting it out for honours in the prime years of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. It was box office stuff.

That pair of legends have since left their posts and both clubs have stuttered as a result, with title glory now beyond the realm of expectation as the sides instead focus on achieving a top-four finish and Champions League football.

In the 2022-23 season, neither will be in Europe's elite competition, with Arsenal in the midst of a five-year Champions League drought and United finishing sixth last term – the fifth time in nine seasons outside of the top four.

Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag are the men tasked with improving upon that record at their respective clubs, the Gunners having stood firm despite struggles at the start of last season and United turning to the former Ajax boss ahead of the new campaign.

In modern football, unlike in the eras of Ferguson and Wenger, it is not just the management who have a direct influence in proceedings, with executives in the club's hierarchy having a major say on transfer market activity.

Both clubs fell into disarray in the market after the departures of their long-serving managers, Arsenal making expensive mistakes in Nicolas Pepe and United spending close to a billion on an array of recruits in the post-Ferguson era.

Under the watch of Edu, Arsenal now appear to be moving forward with a clear plan alongside Arteta, demonstrating a ruthlessness in the past few years to oust numerous high-earning players from the squad – creating room for recruits like Gabriel Jesus.

In the three seasons since Edu has been in charge of transfer activity, following the departure of Raul Sanllehi, the Gunners have allowed the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Willian and Shkodran Mustafi to leave the club by cancelling their contracts.

In the wake of those bold decisions, Arsenal have not readily sought like-for-like replacements, instead freeing up room in what was viewed as a bloated wage bill. 

Alongside this, Arsenal have made a conservative effort in the transfer market to create a squad that can be a success for years to come, particularly in the last two seasons.

Since the 2021-22 campaign, Arsenal's only recruit above the age of 25 is the capture of goalkeeper Matt Turner in the current window – a player who stands as the understudy to first-choice stopper Aaron Ramsdale and a replacement for Bernd Leno, who joined Fulham.

Edu appears to have learnt lessons from 2020-21, his first season at the helm, where five of six recruits were above the age of 25 – Thomas Partey, Pablo Mari, Alex Runarsson, Willian and Cedric Soares.

At United, the overall look of the recruitment drive paints a vastly different picture. In the past two seasons, five of nine recruits fall into the 25 or over category; Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Heaton, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. In the season prior, Alex Telles and Edinson Cavani fall into that category.

It is also worth identifying the sums paid for players of this ilk, with Arsenal's deal for Turner reportedly worth up to £7.5m if add-ons are met, a figure that is dwarfed by United's reported spending.

Since the 2021-22 transfer window, United have reportedly splashed over £100m on the deals to land Varane, Ronaldo and Casemiro – with add-ons in those deals potentially seeing a further rise in costs.

While Ronaldo was able to repay his fee with 18 Premier League goals last term, he has pushed for an exit in the current window due to a desire to play in the Champions League, but, in the case of Varane, United splashed further money on Lisandro Martinez despite already having Varane and Harry Maguire in the squad.

United's questionable approach in the market has also come under scrutiny amid deals that were reportedly eyed but not completed, including apparent intentions to sign Marko Arnautovic and Adrien Rabiot in the current window, then setting sights on Ajax's Antony and concluding a whopping £86m deal.

Time will tell whether Arsenal's approach is successful but the club appear to have all their major pieces moving in the right direction, while at United it is a difficult task to put your finger on exactly what the plan is.

Sunday's result may provide bragging rights for the winning team but in the long-term battle, there appears to only be one winner.

Barcelona have landed defender Marcos Alonso from Chelsea as part of the latter's deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the left-back joining on a one-year deal and a release clause set at €30million.

The 31-year-old, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2016, was a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League winner with the Blues during his six-year tenure in London.

Having previously played in the English top-flight for Bolton Wanderers, and then Sunderland during a loan spell from Fiorentina, the 31-year-old returns to LaLiga for the first time in over a decade.

A product of the Castilla academy system at Real Madrid, Alonso only played one competitive game for the club before he left for England in 2010.

His arrival comes following the termination of his contract with Chelsea, which came following the Blues' capture of Aubameyang - bringing an end to his short spell in Catalonia.

He is the second defensive arrival at the end of the transfer window, with Hector Bellerin having arrived from Arsenal on Thursday after similarly seeing his contract cut-short.

Alonso has been handed the number 17 shirt at the club, with Bellerin given number two, and neither player was signed in time to feature in this weekend's LaLiga clash with Sevilla.

Liverpool are thrilled to have Arthur on board, but the on-loan Juventus midfielder will not be available against Everton, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

Arthur joined Liverpool on a one-season loan on Thursday, with the Reds having an option to buy the former Barcelona playmaker for £32.3million (€37.5m).

The Brazil international did not enjoy much success across the last two seasons in Turin, and had not featured in this campaign after making just 11 Serie A starts last term.

Liverpool had initially suggested their business was complete after the early acquisitions of Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho, but injuries to Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson – who will definitely miss Saturday's derby at Goodison Park – forced Klopp's hand.

Despite it being a late deal, Klopp believes Arthur is an ideal solution to Liverpool's needs.

"Everyone was really happy about the transfer. He will not have international clearance but we all hope he will be fine for Napoli [in next week's Champions League tie]," said Klopp in a press conference.

"He's a really good footballer, we all agree on that, really exciting career already and still pretty young, coming to the best age for a footballer and he can give rhythm, he's a really good passer, quick with the ball, safe on the ball, really good in tight areas, all these kind of things, I like it a lot.

"Why can you loan a player like this? Because it didn't work out 100 per cent at Juventus but I see it as a positive because the potential is still there. We play differently to Juve, and we all thought he could fit pretty well, really pleased."

Klopp indicated that Keita would remain out for a sustained period with a muscular problem, though he is hoping Thiago will return to training next week.

Eddie Howe has claimed rival Premier League clubs have raised their asking prices as they "didn't want to be seen to be helping" Newcastle United.

Newcastle were bought last October in a controversial takeover funded in large part by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The team, who were facing relegation, have improved drastically since then, helped by Howe's appointment as head coach and the investment of more than £200million in the transfer market.

However, Newcastle's attempts to do further business were hampered by the "narrative" around their wealth, Howe suggested on Friday, the day after a window in which they spent big money on Sven Botman and Alexander Isak closed.

"That was definitely something we felt in the market," he said ahead of Saturday's game against Crystal Palace.

"Domestic clubs didn't want to be seen to be helping us. We'll have to take that – that is part of where we are at the moment.

"We have certainly found there is no one there ready to do us a favour. It's the narrative regarding us that has changed.

"If there is anything domestically, teams will put their price up if it is Newcastle. That is the same around the world; that is something we are having to deal with.

"That is why we have walked away from a few deals, because I think it is important we are not seen as that club that will pay what is asked. I think it has to be fair."

Howe was asked if these difficulties had made the club more united, and while he hesitated in agreeing transfer business could have such an impact, he acknowledged: "There is a real feeling of us internally knowing we are against everybody else.

"That is healthy and I would embrace that. I would say we couldn't be more together at the moment."

Beyond their controversial owners, Howe's team were also unpopular in their approach to Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

Having led in that game, Newcastle were accused of time-wasting by the Anfield crowd, who jeered them from the field after Fabio Carvalho's 98th-minute Reds winner.

It was put to Howe that this response and the market complications were due to Newcastle now being considered "contenders"; he disagreed they had yet achieved that status but had no issue with such a reaction.

"I will take that if we are contenders," he said. "But we have that all to prove. We are so early into the season.

"We need to elevate ourselves in points and league status to make sure we are seen as that. If that makes us unpopular, I will take it."

There are several ways in which promoted teams can approach their first transfer window in the Premier League.

One method is the path well worn by Norwich City, a more conservative approach to recruitment aiming to consolidate the squad that gained promotion and add in one or two fresh faces on cheaper deals or loans. For the Canaries, it has resulted in them becoming the proverbial yo-yo club; too good for the Championship, but not quite good enough to stay up.

Bournemouth, much to the apparent chagrin of former head coach Scott Parker, seem to have taken that approach this season. It remains to be seen how that will play out. 

There is a middle ground, the route taken by Leeds United in 2020, where five to 10 additions of quality, from across the continent or from within the Premier League, are prioritised. Fulham – big spenders in past seasons, to little success – are testing that one out this time around. 

Then, there always seems to be one of the promoted sides that turn around their squad on a grand scale. However, the scale of change seen at Nottingham Forest this time around has been unprecedented.

A whopping 20 (yes, twenty) first-team players had arrived before the deadline passed on September 1, and it would have been 21 had Forest pushed through a move for Chelsea outcast Michy Batshuayi in time. Steve Cooper relied heavily on loan players last season, most of whom left the club, but even still, the quantity of incomings has been remarkable.

Forest have already handed out 18 Premier League debuts this season (seven more than any other team) and could still make a 21st signing – free agent Serge Aurier is reportedly a target. For now, here's the 20 new faces Cooper can call on.

Goalkeeper

We'll start at the back, in the form of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who signed on loan from Manchester United to replace the departing Brice Samba. While the latter was crucial last season, England international Henderson is an upgrade and came in as the club's second senior signing on July 2. He has already proved his worth, saving two penalties (one in a win over West Ham, the other in last week's loss to Tottenham). Wayne Hennessey signed from Burnley 13 days later to provide experienced competition.

Defence

The first defender through the door was right-back Giulian Biancone, and the 22-year-old was followed by coveted Mainz centre-back Moussa Niakhate for a reported fee of £8.5million (€9.8m) plus £4.2m (€4.8m) in potential add-ons. Full-backs Omar Richards, Neco Williams and Harry Toffolo arrived from Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but after three games Cooper wanted more. Renan Lodi watched Forest lose to Spurs before signing on loan from Atletico Madrid, underlining the pull of the Premier League and regular minutes in a World Cup year, with Willy Boly (Wolves, reported £2.25m) and Loic Bade (Rennes, loan) rounding off their defensive business.

Midfield

It took until July 20 for Forest to bolster their midfield, with Lewis O'Brien signing from Huddersfield Town. A day later, Forest's first marquee signing of the window arrived in the form of Jesse Lingard, who had left Manchester United following the expiration of his contract. Orel Mangala is an energetic holding player who has slotted straight in after signing from Stuttgart, with the versatile Cheikhou Kouyate an experienced free acquisition from Crystal Palace. Remo Freuler has played in the Champions League with Atalanta, and Forest went all-out for Morgan Gibbs-White, paying Wolves a reported £25m for the England youth international, with add-ons potentially taking the deal to £42.5m.

Attack

Goals win games, and Forest – who were thrashed 6-0 by champions Manchester City in a huge reality check last time out – have managed only two in the league this season despite their incomings. In Gibbs-White and Lingard they have added creativity, though their attack is yet to click. Taiwo Awoniyi scored 15 Bundesliga goals last term for Union Berlin and got Forest's winner against West Ham, though that is his only strike in five appearances so. Emmanuel Dennis' 10 goals were not enough to keep Watford up, but Forest were still willing to pay £20m to bring in the Nigerian, while they will be hoping Hwang Ui-jo replicates the 11 league goals he managed for Bordeaux in 2021-22. Winger Josh Bowler signed in a reported £4m deal from Blackpool Town just before the deadline.

Belgium international Jan Vertonghen has returned to his home country by joining Anderlecht on a permanent deal from Benfica.

The former Tottenham defender, who has won a remarkable 139 caps for his country, has penned a two-year contract with Belgium's most successful club.

Vertonghen made 57 league appearances during his time in Portugal, having previously enjoyed an eight-year stint in the Premier League. 

Speaking to Anderlecht's website, Vertonghen revealed: "There have been talks with Anderlecht in the past already, but suddenly everything fell into place. 

"I've been following the club's project for a while now and I'm convinced that with my experience I can contribute something to this group."

Vertonghen is not the only former Spurs player to leave Benfica, with Adel Taarabt departing by mutual agreement after seven years with the club.

Roger Schmidt's team have already moved to replace the outgoing duo, sealing a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain winger Julian Draxler and a permanent move for United States defender John Brooks on transfer deadline day.

Carlo Ancelotti has no concerns around the contract situations of several of his veteran Real Madrid stars, with Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos all now into the final 12 months of their existing deals.

The transfer window closed on Thursday, leaving Madrid coach Ancelotti with a squad to work with at least until January.

But there remains work to do in the coming months if this hugely successful group is to stay together beyond the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Madrid have a host of players out of contract at the end of the season; some, like Marco Asensio, seem certain to leave, but Benzema, Modric, Kroos and Nacho are all key men.

Benzema is reportedly expected to sign a one-year extension, however, while Modric has done so in each of the past two years.

And Ancelotti sees this approach as sensible, remaining confident these top performers will stay at the Santiago Bernabeu as long as they are wanted.

"There are some players who are in the final year of their contract with the club, but that's not an issue," he said.

Ancelotti added: "You look at Modric, Kroos, Karim, Nacho, these are players who want to stay here until they finish their careers, sometimes signing one-year contracts.

"I don't think having a player in the final year of his contract is an issue.

"There are a lot of clubs who have players in their final year of contract, because you've got to look at the economy of a club and how clubs are run.

"That's why now we're seeing more players reach their final year of contract.

"Look at our veteran players and what we do with them, bringing in their contracts on a yearly basis."

Michy Batshuayi was poised to complete a move to Fenerbahce on Friday after finding himself frozen out at Chelsea.

The Belgium striker had a successful loan spell with Besiktas last season and was linked with Nottingham Forest this week, before that City Ground switch failed to come to fruition.

It has since emerged he is heading back to Turkey's Super Lig to join Fenerbahce, who announced his impending arrival.

Fenerbahce – fierce rivals of Besiktas – said in a statement: "Our club has reached an agreement with his club for the transfer of Michy Batshuayi to our team.

"The footballer is coming to Istanbul to conduct negotiations, undergo a medical checkup and continue the process."

Batshuayi will be seeking regular club football to ensure he is in optimum shape in time for the World Cup in Qatar in November.

With a year remaining on his Chelsea contract, he looked to have no first-team future at Stamford Bridge, particularly after the Premier League club brought in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona on Thursday.

Batshuayi has been a Chelsea player since 2016 but has started just five Premier League games for the Blues, while making 45 appearances off the bench in the competition.

He scored eight goals in the league for Chelsea but has not featured since the 2019-20 season, being farmed out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Crystal Palace and latterly Besiktas.

With his contract at Chelsea due to expire next June, a fresh started awaited the 28-year-old former Marseille player as he headed back to Turkey to put the finishing touches to his latest move.

Steven Gerrard has backed Aston Villa's decision not to sell Douglas Luiz to Arsenal on deadline day and does not foresee the failed transfer being an issue for the Brazil international.

Arsenal were widely reported to have made a move for Douglas Luiz on Thursday due to injury problems in their midfield.

It was claimed Villa were firmly opposed to a sale at a price Arsenal were willing to go to, though.

A bid of around £20million was said to be lodged, but Villa were instead holding out for £40m for a player in the final year of his contract.

Even with Gerrard's men bringing in fellow midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Wolves, no deal could be done, perhaps leaving Douglas Luiz a little disappointed.

"Knowing the boy and the player, I doubt it [will be an issue]," Gerrard said ahead of Saturday's game against Manchester City.

"I've got confidence he'll understand the situation and the club's decision, that we didn't want to lose a very important player and a top player so late in the window.

"From a personal point of view, I very much back the club's decision and stance on that.

"I spoke to Dougie face to face yesterday – he understood where it was at and the position that the club was in. He very much respects the decision.

"Hopefully it'll calm down in the hours and days coming and he'll be fine moving forward."

Real Sociedad were delighted to land their two priority targets in Alexander Sorloth and Umar Sadiq after the late sale of Alexander Isak prompted a frantic final week of the transfer window.

La Real sold star striker Isak to Newcastle United last Friday in a club-record €70million deal.

That move happened quickly, with Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay confirming the club had expected to keep Isak in this window as recently as the previous weekend.

"It has been a difficult week," he said, presenting Sadiq as a Sociedad player after his signing from Almeria was secured on Thursday.

"It's been a summer full of rumours. When a player's [Isak's] agent tells you on a Monday at 10pm that he's coming to San Sebastian with a club the next day, the first thing you think of is that they have an agreement between them.

"We had a week left and we thought about Real Sociedad; it was not the time to discuss too much but to take action."

He added: "On Sunday, we didn't think that Alex was going to leave; on Monday, we started the talks [with Newcastle]; on Tuesday, we concluded them; and on Wednesday, we started working on the signings."

Fortunately, La Real had a plan, having first fielded interest from Newcastle in Isak earlier in the window.

"We thought we were going to sign two players, which is what we had thought of in June," Aperribay said. "We thought of Sorloth on loan and Sadiq to replace Isak.

"We started those conversations, first with Leipzig and then with Almeria."

Sorloth, who had spent last season on loan at Sociedad, scoring four LaLiga goals alongside Isak, quickly returned on another temporary deal.

But the €20m move for Sadiq took a little more time, concluded after "an intense 48 hours".

Now, though, Imanol's side are in a position of strength, having made a huge profit on Isak while bringing in a player in Sadiq who scored 38 goals across two seasons in the second tier with Almeria and has already added two in three games in LaLiga this term.

His signing was crucial, as fellow attackers Carlos Fernandez and Mikel Oyarzabal remain out injured.

"We had to be aware that when you come out of an injury you don't go from nought to 100," Aperribay said. "We have to support the youngsters and be patient with Carlos and Oyarzabal. That's how we approach the season."

He added: "Sadiq was the first on the list. We knew that with Isak we had a risk that became a reality last week, and we have acted as planned."

With the transfer window closing on Thursday, some clubs will be scrambling to assess their options.

There may be some movement of free agents still, while clubs who missed out on targets will be weighing up their chances in January with contractual situations evolving.

Inter defender Milan Skriniar is one player who was heavily pursued without success and who will have only six months left on his contract at the turn of the year. 

TOP STORY – PSG TO PERSIST IN SKRINIAR PURSUIT IN JANUARY

Paris Saint-Germain will revive their failed pursuit of Milan Skriniar in January, according to L'Equipe.

PSG made three offers for the Slovakian defender which were rebuffed by the Italian giants, including one worth €50million.

Skriniar is into the final year of his Inter deal and PSG boss Christophe Galtier had been eager to bring him to the French capital.

ROUND-UP

– Napoli will try to sign PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas again in January after missing out on him, reports L'Equipe. The report claims the Costa Rica international and PSG may opt to terminate his contract by mutual consent before January.

– Marco Asensio had been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks but he has committed to seeing out his Real Madrid contract which expires in mid-2023, according to Mundo Deportivo.

– The Telegraph reports Blackburn Rovers will be open to pre-contract offers to their hot property forward Ben Brereton Diaz in January after rejecting bids from Fulham and Everton. The Chile international has less than 12 months remaining on his deal at Ewood Park.